Single-Leg Wall Sit
quadriceps
What moves the load, and what it costs
3.5MET
Quadriceps is the prime mover, with the glutes assisting. Doubles the load on one leg without any equipment. A useful progression once a two-legged wall sit passes a minute comfortably.
Cue: Hold the wall sit position and lift one foot off the floor, keeping the hips level.
SOURCE·2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities·FILED UNDER CALISTHENICS, LIGHT·REVIEWED JUL 2026
SHARED AXIS · SEVEN VALUES FROM ONE TABLE · HIGHLIGHTED ROW IS THIS MOVEMENT
The compendium files single-leg wall sit under a category, not a lift. Read the ladder as position, not precision: this is heavier work than sitting quietly by a factor of 3.5, and middling for conditioning work.
Turning that MET value into a real energy cost
- Map the movement to a published category. The compendium measures categories of conditioning work, never individual lifts, so single-leg wall sit is filed under Calisthenics, light or moderate effort, general (e.g. back exercises).
- Take the category's MET value — 3.5. One MET is the cost of sitting quietly, so this is 3.5 times resting metabolism.
- Multiply by 3.5 to get millilitres of oxygen per kilogram per minute, the unit the MET is actually defined in.
- Multiply by your bodyweight in kilograms and divide by 200. The result is kilocalories per minute of work.
- Count working minutes only. Under load, not under the roof — a set of eight is about 25 seconds of the hour you were there.
kcal/min = MET × 3.5 × body mass (kg) ÷ 200 Single-Leg Wall Sit: 3.5 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 = 4.29 kcal/min
SOURCE·ACSM metabolic equation + 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities·REFERENCE BODY MASS 70 KG·REVIEWED JUL 2026
What is actually doing the work
| Muscle | Role | What it does here |
|---|---|---|
| QuadricepsRectus femoris and the three vasti | Prime mover | Straightens the knee. Rectus femoris also crosses the hip and flexes it, so it is loaded differently in a squat than in a leg extension. |
| GlutesGluteus maximus, medius and minimus | Synergist / stabiliser | Extends the hip (maximus), and abducts and stabilises it (medius and minimus). The strongest single muscle group in the body. |
The prime mover produces the movement against the resistance; synergists assist and stabilisers hold a joint still without moving it. An exercise trains the whole muscle it loads — there is no way to work only part of a muscle, and no exercise removes fat from the area around it.
Set up, then earn the rep
Bodyweight. Held for time, not counted in reps — the set ends when the position breaks, not when the clock does.
PATTERN · SQUAT
- Stand with your back flat against a wall and walk the feet out about half a metre.
- Slide down until the thighs are parallel to the floor and the knees are at 90 degrees, directly above the ankles.
- Hold the wall sit position and lift one foot off the floor, keeping the hips level.
- Press the whole back into the wall and keep the weight through the heels and mid-foot.
- Hold for time, breathing normally rather than holding your breath.
- Walk the feet in and stand up under control when the position starts to break.
Where this one breaks down
Not theory. These are the faults you correct on a gym floor, and the correction that actually works.
Knees far ahead of the ankles.
Walk the feet out further so the shins stay vertical.
Holding the breath.
Breathe through the hold. It is an isometric, not a Valsalva exercise.
Resting the hands on the thighs.
That is offloading the exercise. Arms folded or hanging at the sides.
Regress it, or progress it
Prescription: load, reps, rest
Read off the goal, then hold the technique constant as the load climbs. Derived from the movement's mechanics, not invented for this page: a held position is measured in seconds, and the set ends when the position breaks.
| Goal | Sets | Hold | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Learning the position | 2–3 | 15–20 sec | 45–60 sec | Stop the set when the position breaks, not when the timer does. |
| Building capacity | 3–4 | 30–45 sec | 60 sec | Add time before you add load, up to about a minute per set. |
| Strength (loaded) | 3–4 | 20–30 sec | 90 sec | Past a minute of easy holding, add resistance rather than more seconds. |
| Fat loss / circuits | 3–4 | 30–40 sec | 20–30 sec | Short rests keep the heart rate up; the position still has to hold. |
Time under load, in kilocalories
Read these as minutes of work, not minutes in the building. A set of eight takes about twenty-five seconds; the rest of the hour is rest, chalk and queueing.
Mapped category: Calisthenics, light or moderate effort, general (e.g. back exercises) — 3.5 MET. That is the published category this movement is filed under, not a measurement of this specific lift.
Worked at 3.5 MET × 3.5 × 70 kg ÷ 200 = 4.29 kcal per working minute for a 70 kg adult. Scale it by your own bodyweight; the equation is linear. The full activity dataset lives at BurnLab.
SOURCE·2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities·CATEGORY VALUE, NOT A PER-EXERCISE MEASUREMENT·REVIEWED JUL 2026
If the rack is taken
Substitutes train the same prime mover through the same pattern with different kit. Computed from the muscle and pattern data on this card, not hand-picked to fill a grid.
This one needs no equipment at all, which is why it belongs in every travel and home programme. Every no-equipment movement is listed together.
Where it sits in a week
One movement is not a programme. The twelve templates put these in order, including 6 that need no gym at all.
The questions that come up on the floor
What muscles does the single-leg wall sit work?
Single-Leg Wall Sit is an isometric hold in which the quadriceps is the prime mover, assisted by the glutes. Straightens the knee. Rectus femoris also crosses the hip and flexes it, so it is loaded differently in a squat than in a leg extension.
Is the single-leg wall sit good for beginners?
Not on day one, but it is reachable within a few weeks. It rates 3 out of 5 for technical demand. Work up through the easier versions listed on this page first, starting with the wall sit.
What can I do instead of the single-leg wall sit at home?
Nothing is needed — the single-leg wall sit already requires no equipment at all, which is why it belongs in any home programme.
How many sets and reps of the single-leg wall sit should I do?
For muscle size, 3–4 sets of 30–45 sec with 60 sec rest. For strength, 2–3 sets of 15–20 sec with 45–60 sec rest. In your first month, 3–4 sets of 30–40 sec, stopping well short of failure. Total weekly hard sets per muscle group matters more than the exact rep number in any of these ranges.
Does the single-leg wall sit burn fat from the quadriceps?
No. No exercise removes fat from the area it trains — spot reduction has been tested repeatedly and does not happen. Training the quadriceps builds the muscle underneath; where body fat is lost from is decided by an overall calorie deficit and by your genetics, not by which exercise you chose.
Muscle roles follow standard kinesiology references and are described by joint action rather than by gym convention — see how this site is built. Energy figures are derived from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. Every reference is named and dated on the sources page. General information only — not medical or coaching advice. Load, form and progression should be adjusted to your own experience and any injury history. When in doubt, get coached in person.
SOURCE·Published exercise references·MUSCLE ROLES ASSIGNED BY JOINT ACTION·REVIEWED JUL 2026
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